The first trailer has been unveiled for “Hana Korea,” a North Korean refugee drama starring “Pachinko‘s” Kim Minha, ahead of its world premiere at the Busan International Film Festival.
The trailer offers a first look at the Danish-Korean co-production, which follows Hyesun, a young North Korean refugee who arrives in fast-paced, hyper-modern South Korea and must navigate the emotional and cultural challenges of starting over in a high-performance society while confronting the price of freedom and her past.
Danish filmmaker Frederik Sølberg wrote and directed the drama in his narrative feature debut, following his award-winning documentary “Doel.” The project is co-written by Sungjae “Sharon” Choi, best known as Bong Joon-ho’s interpreter who accompanied the “Parasite” director throughout his international awards campaign.
Kim, who gained international recognition for her portrayal of young Sunja in Apple TV+’s “Pachinko,” leads a cast that includes Kim Joo-ryoung from Netflix’s “Squid Game” and An Seo-hyun from Bong Joon-ho’s “Okja.”
In his director’s statement, Sølberg describes the six-year development process as “one of the most transformative periods of my artistic journey,” noting his collaboration with North Korean refugee Hyorin as both research and “self-confrontation.”
“Through this process, I came to see filmmaking as a dialogue rather than a statement—an act of witnessing that balances intimacy with distance, and empathy with respect,” Sølberg said.
“Hana Korea” is produced by Sara Stockmann of Copenhagen-based Sonntag Pictures and Heejung Oh of Seoul’s Seesaw Pictures, with support from the Danish Film Institute, Korean Film Council, and other international funding bodies. International sales are handled by REinvent.
The film will world premiere in Busan’s Flash Forward strand.
Watch the trailer here:
variety.com
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